Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has begun to consider the possibility that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia might conclude next year as he considers peace negotiations instead of fighting for every inch of occupied land, The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing Michael McFaul, who co-chairs the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions with Ukrainian officials. The shift in perspective allegedly follows increased discussions around a potential peace agreement, spurred by United States President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election and changes on NATO’s leadership, the media added. Zelensky has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the feasibility of reaching any consensus with Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicating his doubts about the Russian leader’s willingness to “come to any agreement.”
Power outages introduced across Ukraine
Ukrenergo, the state-owned electricity transmission system operator in Ukraine, announced on Monday in an order that various regions across the country will be going through emergency power outages. According to the notice, under regions affected are the Kiev region, the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Donetsk region, the Sumy region, and others. “Energy workers across the country are working 24/7 to eliminate the consequences of shelling and restore power to Ukrainian homes,” it was written in the order.